Sound-box.



F. W. SCHAEFER.

SOUND BOX.

APPLICATION FILED Aus.9. 1911.

1,275,764. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.. 7

Tim. l

an (to! a v UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE- 'FREDERICK VJ. SCHAEFER, F CRANFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLTAN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SO UN D-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

' Application filed August 9, 1917; Serial No. 185,881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. Scrum-"en, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cranford, in the county of Unlon and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sound-Boxes, of. which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sound-boxes for talking machines, and in particular to those of the so-callcd convertible or universal type,

which may be used to play records of both the verticaland the lateral cut forms.

Under ordinary conditions, it is custom- -ary, due to the difference in the way in which the sound-waves are recorded in the grooves, either to shift the sound-box bodily from one position to another when changing from one type of record to a record of dlfferent type, or else to utilize a stylus bar having a shiftable stylus holder which may be moved from one position to another, according to the type of record to be played. In certain other forms of universal soundboxes, two separate stylus holders are pro-.

vided, one for use in playing each typeof record, each holder belng furnished with its own screw or other clamp to retain the stylus in place in the socket or bore of the holder. All of these constructions require appreciable manipulation before playing can be commenced, and some of them are comparatively expensive to manufacture.

The present invention has for its primary object to simplify the construction above described, by avoiding all of the'prclimlnary manipulation and reducing the number of necessary parts without, however, in any way impairing the effectiveness of the former constructions. According to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a substantially right-angled stylus bar is provided, the lower arm of which is made H- shaped and is both widened and thickened to permit the formation in its vertical me1nbers of a pair of spaced, parallel sockets,

one for use when playing vertical-cut rec ords and the other for'lateral-cutrecords.

The cross-piece of this arm has its rear face cut away,'the cut extending across therear faces of the vertical members, .so as to intersect both sockets,and being designed to receive in it a cross-bar or clamp, thcvends of which overlie the sockets. The bar is thereby enablcd to retain a stylus in either socket, its movements incidental to the engagement or release of the stylus being efi'ected by means of a screw which is engaged with the central portion thereof.

In the embodiment of the invention'illus trated in the accompanying dra'wing,

Figure 1 is a face view of a sound-box equipped with the improved stylus bar. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged, fragmental detail views of the clamp portion of the bar,"

Rig. 2 being a face view, and Fig. 3 an edge view.

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged horizontal and verticalsections of the clamp, taken, respec tively, on lines H and 5-5 of Fig. 2. eferring more particularly to'sald drawmg, 1 designates the :body of the sound-box,

2 the diaphragm thereof, 3 the stylus bar and 4 the spaced supporting parts or lugs for the bearing-screws 5, upon which latter All the stylus bar is mounted to oscillate.

arts function in the usual of the above manner, and, wlth the exception of the stylus bar, are, ormay be, of the usual or any desired construction.

The stylus bar is made substantially L" and horizontally to an extent sufiicient to enable the formation in its vertical or upof an H, which is thin ened both vertically right members 8 and 8 of a pair of sockets.

6 and'6. The inner socket 6- 15 designed to receive the stylus when a lateral-cutorqlgzag record is to be played, and for that 1:63

son is disposed substantially in axial alinement with the upper arm 3' of ,the stylus bar, the outer socket 6' receivingfthe stylus when a vertical-cut or hill'and-dale recbrd is to be played. 5

7, the arrangement of the inner holder 8 di-,

rectly beneath the pivots or trunnionst) and in line with the upper portion of the bar enabling the lateral vibrations set up by the recording of the sound-waves in the side walls of the grooves to be accurately andpositively transmitted through the stylus bar ito the diaphragm in the usual way when a ilateral-cutrecord is being played. Similarly, the arrangement of the outer holder 8 to one side of the axis of vibration of the bar, enables said holder to rise and fall in accordance with the elevations and depressions in the bottom of the groove, when a hill-and-dale record is being played.

In order to retain a stylus in either socket, according as one type of record or the other is to be played, the crosspiece or neck 7 has its rear face cut away from end to end thereof, as indicated at 10, the cut extending at its ends across both uprights 8 and 8 and, consequently, intersecting the sockets therein. As a result of such construction, there is produced a virtual channel, which is designed to receive in it a cross-bar or clamp 15; and this crossbar, by its movements in and out of the channel, will control both sockets simultaneously, and will grip or release the stylus with the same facility irrespective of the socket in which it may happen to be arranged. "lhe movements of the bar necessary to effect these actions are pretcrably obtained by a single screw 11., the shank 12 of which passes through registerjing openings 13 and 13 formed, respectively, througlithe centers ofthe neck? and the eross-bar- 15. -()nly one {if thcseopen- 'ings, namely the one forn'ied in the crossbar,- is threaded, and, of course, ouly the outer or terminal portion. of the screw shank has threads thereon, the front opening 13 and the inner portion of the screw shank being unthreaded. The screw is provided, however, with an intcrmmliate enlargement or stop collar ll, which is adapted to contact with the neck 7 when said screw has been turned sufliciontly far in dnekdirection, while rotation of the screwin" the opposite direction will more said collar away from the aforesaid neck 7 and thus permit the release of the stylus.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sound-box, a stylusbar having its 1 ,275,76&

playing arm provided with a pair of separate stylus sockets, and with a channel cross-; ing both ofthem; and a clamping member fitted in said channel with its ends overlying said socketsyso as to control both of: them, and arranged for movement inward or outward of the channel, thereby to engage or release a stylus ineither socket.

2. In a sound-box, a stylus bar having its playing arm provided with a pair of stylus sockets arranged in spaced, parallel relation, and with a channel intersecting both sockets at right angles; and a clamping member fitted in said channels, with its opposite ends extendingacross said sockets, so as to control both of them, and arranged for movement inward or outward of the. channel, thereby to engage or release a stylus in either socket. p

3. In a sound-box, a stylus barhaving an H-sha-ped playing arm, each vertical member of which is provided with a longitudinal stylus socket, the cross-piece of said arm being provided with achannel which is continued at its opposite ends across saidsockets; and a movable clamping member fitted in said channel with its ends overlying said sockets, so as to control both of them, and

arranged for movement inwardor outward a stylus iii cithrfsbcket.

4. In a sound-box, an L- haped stylus bar,

having its lower arm projecting laterally.

outward from the sound box and provided with a pair of spaced, parallel stylus sockets; and a narrow clam-ping bar extending across said arm and having its ends-overly ing said sockets, so as to control both of them, and arranged forflmovement inward or outward of the channel, thereby to engage or release a stylus in either socket.

' In a sound-box, a stylus bar having its playing armprovided with pair of st lus sockets, and with a channel crossing bot 1 of them; a clamping member seated in said channel with :its ends overly-iii saidsockets and a' single-screw gag ing member to move thevsame laterally iii-- ward or outward of the channel, thereby to release a stylus in.either socket;

7. In a sound-box, a onc-picee stylus bar having an H-shapcd playing arm, each vertical member of which is fern'ied with a 10nengage a stylus in either socket, and in the gitudimil stylus socket; and a narrow clamp other direction to release a stylus in either ing bar extending along the crossqnece 0f socket.

said arm, with its ends overlying said sock- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 5 ets, so as to control both of them; said bur my hand. I

arranged for movement in one direction to FREDERICK \V. SUI-TAEFER 

